Comes with hand-signed C.O.A.

These XXI Bomber Command target map rarely come up for sale in the public sector. This is a once in a timeline chance to own a piece of B-29 WWII history.

This incredibly scare and museum-grade ‘RESTRICTED’ WWII XXI Bomber Command (20th Air Force) TARGET CHART was used during the USAAF long-range bombardment operations, against Japan until mid-July 1945. The XXI Bomber Command was headquartered at Harmon Field, Guam, in the Mariana Islands.

Titled “KOBE AREA” version of this A-2 SECTION - TARGET CHART NO. 10A were produced in limited quantities with previous aerial reconnaissance mission photos by the 30th Photo Reconnaissance Squadron. The print mark on this target chart is January 1945.

This navigators and bombardier chart map was specifically creating using the most updated military intelligence in order to give B-29 Superfortress aircraft the most accurate target information. This was done for fast and effective target identification as well as accurate navigation and bomb/incendiary accuracy. These target charts were handed to B-29 crews during the target mission briefing and were then carried on the B-29 aircraft to used during the raid itself.

This Kobe, Japan target chart was used by WWII 1st Lieutenant Cecil Rix who served as a B-29 Bombardier Navigator in the Pacific Theater as well as a Radar Observer on Saipan and Guam during the later part of WWII.

*What makes this specific edition of the target chart very rare is the lower left key noting vital Japanese aerial targets and key military and industrial building/factories. The key translates to the numbered building on the map for accurate target identification…and even shows that specific targets elevation. This was valuable information as it could be used on multiple missions raids based on the carrying primary targets.

This specific target map of KOBE labels KOBE STEEL WORKS, RAILROAD STATION, POWER PLANT, MITSUBISHI INDUSTRIES, KOBE STEEL WORKS, and MANY MORE..

XXI Bomber Command B-29 Air Raid on KOBE:

• The 313th's 504th and 505th groups joined in the attack on Kobe on 4 February.

• On the night of 13–14 March, eight square miles of Osaka went up in flames. On 16–17 March, three square miles of Kobe were destroyed, and on 19–20 March in a return visit to Nagoya, three more square miles were destroyed. This destructive week had killed over 120,000 Japanese civilians at the cost of only 20 B-29s lost.

• In April 1945, General LeMay gave new orders for more incendiary raids. This time, aircraft engine factories at Musashino and Nagoya were to be hit, but urban areas in Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka, Kawasaki, Kobe, and Yokohama were also to be attacked. On 7 April 153 B-29s struck the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries aircraft-engine complex at Nagoya, destroying about 90 percent of that facility. Five days later, 93 B-29s destroyed the Nakajima factory at Musashino. The Japanese aircraft engine industry essentially ceased to exist after this time. On 13 April 327 B-29s burned out eleven more square miles of Tokyo. Seven more B-29s were lost.

• On 5 June, the B-29s attacked Kobe with such effectiveness that the city was crossed off the target list as not worth revisiting. By the end of the month, the six major cities on LeMay's list had all been effectively destroyed.